• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, December 19, 2023

Data is essential for fueling meaningful customer experiences and accurate generative AI prompts. Yet 90% of enterprise data exists in unstructured formats such as emails, PDFs, social-media posts and audio files, according to Salesforce.

Salesforce says it has addressed this problem with updates to its Einstein 1 platform.

These enhancements, which will be available in February, include the Data Cloud Vector Database, a tool that has been built into the Einstein 1 platform. It will allow users to bring unified business data into any AI prompt across all Salesforce applications, the company says.

The goal is to relieve “the challenge of costly and complex processes to harness the value of unstructured data,” says Rahul Auradkar, executive vice president and general manager of Unified Data Services & Einstein.

According to Salesforce, the improvements include:

- Data Cloud Vector Database — This will remove the need to fine-tune LLMs by seamlessly using all business data to enrich AI prompts. Marketers can utilize a variety of data types across their business applications and workflows, Salesforce says. 

- Einstein Copilot Search — This tool, available in February, will add AI search capabilities that will respond to complex queries.

Tapping into diverse data sources, including unstructured data, Einstein Copilot, will provide an AI assistant capable of and generating content.

Auradkar adds that the Data Cloud Vector Database “transforms all business data, from emails to documents to transcripts to social media posts, into valuable insights.”

The results remain to be seen. But AAA reports it has reduced response time for its 6 million annual roadside events by 10%, using Salesforce automation and technology. 

“Our reps have access to real-time data, helping them quote field service arrival times more accurately, automate fleet deployment, and personalize service to members in crisis.” says Shohreh Abedi, executive vice president, chief operations technology officer, and member experience at AAA – The Auto Club Group.

Forrester has predicted that the volume of unstructured data managed by enterprises will double by 2024, Salesforce notes.